Central administration of neurokinin B (NKB) agonists stimulates immediate early gene expression in the hypothalamus and increases the secretion of vasopressin from the posterior pituitary through a mechanism that depends on the activation of neurokinin receptor 3 receptors (NK3R). The present study reports that, in the rat, immunoreactivity for NK3R is expressed in magnocellular vasopressin an...

Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons within the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus are vital anorexigenic neurons. Although both the leptin and insulin receptors are coupled to the activation of phosphatidylinositide 3 kinase (PI3K) in POMC neurons, they are thought to have disparate actions on POMC excitability. Using whole-cell recording and selective pharmacological tools, we have found that, simila...

The precise distribution of thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) in 23 discrete brain nuclei and areas of Wistar strain male rats was determined by specific radioimmunoassay. TRH was detected in most of these areas. The highest concentration was found in the median eminence (27.52 +/- 2.84 ng/mg protein). The arcuate nucleus (4.92 +/- 0.58 ng/mg protein), dorsomedial nucleus (4.77 +/- 0.59 ng/mg...

We hypothesized that brain regions showing neuronal activation after refeeding comprise major nodes in a satiety network, and tested this hypothesis with two sets of experiments. Detailed c-Fos mapping comparing fasted and refed rats was performed to identify candidate nodes of the satiety network. In addition to well-known feeding-related brain regions such as the arcuate, dorsomedial, and par...

The hunger hormone, ghrelin, is produced not only in response to food deprivation, but also released during various types of stress. In recent years, the rise ghrelin levels has come be seen as an essential component stress response. review devoted ghrelin-dependent mechanisms providing reciprocal interaction between hypothalamuspituitaryadrenal cortex axis and dopaminergic reward system. Direc...

A mutation in the mouse tub gene causes a phenotype characterized by maturity-onset obesity, blindness and deafness. The role of the intact tubby protein and the pathogenesis resulting in the phenotype of tub/tub mice remain largely unknown. In this study, we have investigated whether obese tub/tub mice exhibit altered expression levels for agouti-related protein (AGRP) or glutamic acid decarbo...

Immunoreactive expression of three cell death markers was quantitatively analysed in the human infant brainstem medulla. We assessed active caspase-3, TUNEL and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) in a cohort of 92 infants, and analysed for: (i) variations in the immunoreactive expression with development; (ii) comparison of infants diagnosed with the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS, n = 67) to infa...

Using a combined technique of immunocytochemistry and [3H]thymidine autoradiography, we have determined the "birth-date" of opioid peptide containing neurons in three hypothalamic nuclei. These include proopiomelanocortin neurons (indicated by ACTH immunoreactivity) in the arcuate nucleus, dynorphin A neurons in the supraoptic nucleus, and [Leu]enkephalin neurons in the periventricular nucleus....

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the frequency, morphology, and pathogenesis (primary or secondary) of the abnormally developed medullary arcuate nucleus (ARCn) in stillbirths. METHODS We examined 26 stillbirths (24 antepartum, 2 intrapartum) that had a gestational age between 25 and 40 weeks and a normal karyotype. All of the stillborns were described as well-developed, with body length and weight pro...